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Topic

Mobile
Computing
and UML

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1.

Define XML, XML web services;

2.

Identify XML at work;

3.

Underline the key XML technologies for mobile computing;

4.

Describe the structure of UML; and

5.

Express the behaviour model and component model of UML.

X INTRODUCTION
Mobile computing contains a host of portable technologies that makes anytime
Internet access not only possible, but integral to everyday life. From notebook
computers to personal digital assistants like the Backberry and iPhone, to
standard cell phones, mobile computing has developed into an indispensable
way of life. Mobile voice communication is extensively established throughout
the world and has had a very rapid increase in the number of subscribers to a
variety of cellular networks over the last few years. An extension of this
technology is the ability to send and receive data across these cellular networks.
This is the principle of mobile computing. Mobile data communication has
become a very important and rapidly evolving technology as it allows users to
transmit data from remote locations to other remote or fixed locations. This
proves to be the solution to the biggest problem of business people on the move 
mobility.

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Mobile laptop and notebook computers can use one of the two types of wireless
access services when away from the home or office. The most commonly used
and least expensive is WiFi. WiFi uses radio waves to broadcast an internet
signal from a wireless router to the immediate surrounding area. If the wireless
network is not encrypted, anyone can jump on. WiFi is commonly used in public
places to create hotspots. Metadata is actually useful for searching and
controlling content. For example, consider metadata on web pages. Search
engines often place a higher priority on metadata tags such as page title,
keywords and description than they do on the actual contents of the page. To
those searching the Web, this metadata is useful for finding relevant pages.
Metadata is also important for faster and more accurate database search and
retrieval and for information stored in data warehouses.

3.1

WHAT IS XML?

XML stands for Extensible Mark-up Language which is similar to HTML. It


improves the functionality of the Web by letting you identify your information in
a more accurate, flexible, and adaptable way. The main objective of XML is to
carry the data; however, the main objective of HTML is display the data. Unlike
HTML, the tags here are not predefined; one must define their own tags. It is selfdescriptive and a W3C recommendation.
It is extensible because it is not a fixed format like HTML (which is a single,
predefined markup language). Instead, XML is a metalanguage  a language for
describing other languages  which lets you design your own markup languages
for limitless different types of documents. XML can do this because it's written in
SGML, the international standard metalanguage for text document markup (ISO
8879).

3.1.1

XML Web Services

XML Web services are defined as the basic building blocks in order to scattered
computing on the Internet. Open principles and the concentration on interaction
and association between people and applications have produced an atmosphere
where XML Web services are becoming the podium for application
incorporation. Applications are created using numerous XML Web services from
a variety of sources that effort together despite of where they exist in or how they
were put into practice.

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There are perhaps as many descriptions of XML Web Service as there are
companies constructing them, but nearly all descriptions have these objects in
general:
(a)

XML Web Services depicts valuable functionality to Web users all the way
through a standard Web protocol. Usually the procedure or protocol used
is SOAP.

(b)

XML Web services offer a method to portray their interfaces in sufficient


aspect to permit a user to construct a consumer application to converse to
them. This portrayal is typically offered in an XML document known as a
Web Services Description Language (WSDL) document.

(c)

XML Web services are recorded in order that impending users can locate
them effortlessly. This is performed with Universal Discovery Description
and Integration (UDDI).

Web services are the major applications in business-to-business, business-tocustomer, and enterprise applications integration solutions. As the mobile
Internet turns out to be one of the major methods for information delivery,
mobile Web services are considered as a crucial phase of e-business architecture.
Here, we anticipated a mobile Web services middleware that translates typical
Internet services into mobile Web services. We executed a WSDL (Web Service
Description Language) constructer that transforms HTML/XML into WSDL and
a SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) message processor. The former
diminishes the overhead price of reconstructing mobile Web services and
facilitates flawless services among wired and wireless Internet services. The latter
improves SOAP processing performance by removing the Servlet container
(Tomcat), a needed component of usual Web services execution. Our system can
wholly support standard Web services protocol, diminishing interaction
overhead, message processing time, and server overburden.
SOAP is an XML-based messaging protocol which is used for interfacing two
processes on individual platforms, where the platform is of either the same type
or another type as the other process. To perform heavy lifting, XML services like
SOAP can be used. This will show presentation as parsing of XML is more
strong.
SOAP is a new mobile electronic device, which can be used to control electronic
devices, external or internal to the SOAP, in an instinctive, expedient, and
contented manner. For instance, a SOAP may provide as an option to input
devices like a mouse. A SOAP device may comprise a core, and a hull that at
least moderately includes the core. The core contains a tracking part competent of
tracking movement relative to the hull.

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XML technologies in mobile computing need fresh content. Please keep in mind
all the technologies must be written in keeping mobile computing in mind.

3.1.2

Key XML Technologies for Mobile Computing

(a)

XHTML

(b)

VXML
(i)

intended for voice user interfaces

(ii)

permits requirement of a command-based voice dialogvia a markup


language

(c)

WML

(d)

Xforms

(e)

CCXML

(f)

XML Pipeline

(g)

WBXML

(h)

SSML

(i)

RDF

3.1.3

CCXML

(a)

CCXML is termed as Call Control Extensible

(b)

It is a Markup Language
(i)

Application of XML for organizing voice calls

(ii)

It concentrates on steering the calls and connecting calls (in contrast to


VXML)

(iii) It is associated with Java Telephony APIs (JTAPI).

3.1.4

XML Pipeline

(a)

It identifies how to process a variety of XML resources. It can be considered


in two different circumstances.

(b)

It identifies the flow of giving out instructions that are pertained to one or
more specified documents inhabited on the host.

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It identifies the flow of giving out instructions that are applied to a variety
of XML documents, residing at various hosts.
It is familiar with type of processes:
(i)

Constructive processes create new information

(ii)

Enlarging processes insert new types (definitions) of information

(iii) Examination processes gaze at the content of a document


(iv) Extraction processes copy a part of the document that they look into
(v)

3.1.5

Packaging processes are dispersed processes that address the


processing of distributed resources.

WBXML

(a)

WAP Binary Extensible Markup Language;

(b)

Defines a method to characterize XML in 0s and 1s as a substitute of text;


and

(c)

KXML (parse WBXML).

3.1.6

SSML

(a)

Synthetic Speech Markup Language; and

(b)

It is used for the infrastructure of the voice user interface.

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RDF

(a)

Resource Description Framework.

(b)

Produced particularly:
(i)

To permit discovery of a variety of resources.

(ii)

Indexing them.

(iii) Establishment of resources that are made up of other RDF resources


by basically nesting the RDF descriptions.
(c)

RDF is part of Semantic Web.

ACTIVITY 3.1
Discuss with your friends and teacher, what are the difference
between XML and HYML.
Example of XML Document
XML documents use a self-describing and simple syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<note>
<to>Tove</to>
<from>Jani</from>
<heading>Reminder</heading>
<body>Do not forget me this weekend!</body>
</note>
The first line is the XML declaration. It defines the XML version (1.0) and the
encoding used (ISO-8859-1 = Latin-1/West European character set).
The next line describes the root element of the document (like saying: this
document is a note):
<note>

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The next 4 lines describe 4 child elements of the root (to, from, heading, and body):
<to>Tove</to>
<from>Jani</from>
<heading>Reminder</heading>
<body>Do not forget me this weekend!</body>
And finally the last line defines the end of the root element:
</note>
You can assume, from this example, that the XML document contains a note to
Tove from Jani.
Dont you agree that XML is pretty self-descriptive?
XML Documents form a Tree Structure
XML documents must contain a root element. This element is the parent of all
other elements.
The elements in an XML document form a document tree. The tree starts at the
root and branches to the lowest level of the tree.
All elements can have sub elements (child elements):
<root>
<child>
<subchild>.....</subchild>
</child>
</root>
The terms parent, child, and sibling are used to describe the relationships
between elements. Parent elements have children. Children on the same level are
called siblings (brothers or sisters).

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All elements can have text content and attributes (just like in HTML).
Example: The root element in the example is <bookstore>. All <book>
elements in the document are contained within <bookstore>.

The <book> element has 4 children: <title>,< author>, <year>, <price>.


The syntax rules of XML are very simple and logical. The rules are easy to
learn, and easy to use.
All XML Elements must have a Closing Tag
In HTML, elements do not have to have a closing tag:
<p>This is a paragraph
<p>This is another paragraph
In XML, it is illegal to omit the closing tag. All elements must have a closing tag:
<p>This is a paragraph</p>
<p>This is another paragraph</p>

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Note: You might have noticed from the previous example that the XML
declaration did not have a closing tag. This is not an error. The declaration is not
a part of the XML document itself, and it has no closing tag.
XML Tags are Case Sensitive
XML tags are case sensitive. The tag <Letter> is different from the tag <letter>.
Opening and closing tags must be written with the same case:
<Message>This is incorrect</message>
<message>This is correct</message>
Note: Opening and closing tags are often referred to as Start and end tags.
Use whatever you prefer. It is exactly the same thing.
XML Elements must be Properly Nested
In HTML, you might see improperly nested elements:
<b><i>This text is bold and italic</b></i>
In XML, all elements must be properly nested within each other:
<b><i>This text is bold and italic</i></b>
In the example above, Properly nested simply means that since the <i> element
is opened inside the <b> element, it must be closed inside the <b> element.
XML Documents must have a Root Element
XML documents must contain one element that is the parent of all other
elements. This element is called the root element.

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<root>
<child>
<subchild>.....</subchild>
</child>
</root>
XML Attribute Values must be Quoted
XML elements can have attributes in name/value pairs just like in HTML. In
XML, the attribute values must always be quoted.
Study the two XML documents below. The first one is incorrect, the second is
correct:
<note date=12/11/2007>
<to>Tove</to>
<from>Jani</from>
</note>
<note date="12/11/2007">
<to>Tove</to>
<from>Jani</from>
</note>
The error in the first document is that the date attribute in the note element is not
quoted.
Entity References
Some characters have a special meaning in XML.
If you place a character like < inside an XML element, it will generate an error
because the parser interprets it as the start of a new element.

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This will generate an XML error:


<message>if salary < 1000 then</message>

To avoid this error, replace the < character with an entity reference:
<message>if salary & lt; 1000 then</message>
There are 5 predefined entity references in XML:
&lt;

<

less than

&gt;

>

greater than

&amp;

&

ampersand

&apos;

'

apostrophe

&quot;

"

quotation mark

Note: Only the characters < and & are strictly illegal in XML. The greater
than character is legal, but it is a good habit to replace it.
Comments in XML
The syntax for writing comments in XML is similar to that of HTML.
<!-- This is a comment -->
White-space is Preserved in XML
HTML truncates multiple white-space characters to one single white-space:
HTML:
Output:

Hello
Hello

Tove
Tove

With XML, the white-space in a document is not truncated.

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XML Stores New Line as LF


In Windows applications, a new line is normally stored as a pair of characters:
Carriage Return (CR) and Line Feed (LF). In Unix applications, a new line is
normally stored as a LF character. Macintosh applications also use an LF to store
a new line.
XML stores a new line as LF.
An XML document contains XML Elements. What is an XML Element? An XML
element is everything from (including) the element's start tag to (including) the
element's end tag.
An element can contain other elements, simple text or a mixture of both.
Elements can also have attributes.
<bookstore>
<book category="CHILDREN">
<title>Harry Potter</title>
<author>J K. Rowling</author>
<year>2005</year>
<price>29.99</price>
</book>
<book category="WEB">
<title>Learning XML</title>
<author>Erik T. Ray</author>
<year>2003</year>
<price>39.95</price>
</book>
</bookstore>

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In the example above, <bookstore> and <book> have element contents, because
they contain other elements. <author> has text content because it contains text.
In the example above only <book> has an attribute (category=CHILDREN).

EXERCISE 3.1
1.

Write short note on HTML and XML.

2.

What are the basic difference between XML and HTML?

3.2

KEY XML TECHNOLOGIES FOR MOBILE


COMPUTING

In the present days environment to meet the new requirements of web


publishing, W3C has developed the Extensible Mark-up Language (XML). The
goal was to develop a language that has the flexibility of SGML and the
simplicity of HTML. XML was designed to deliver structured, possibly complex
content over the web while still being easy to implement. XML is primarily a
meta-language for describing other mark-up languages. It neither specifies a
fixed tag set nor the semantics of the tags, but allows users to define their own set
of tags and the structural relationships between the tags. A Document Type
Definition (DTD) may be associated with the document, but it is not required.
XML as such does not contain any functionality, but is used as a data description,
interchange, and storage format.
Two basic properties of XML documents are well formedness and validity. The
well formedness constraints control of proper syntax and structure of the
document. Moreover, an XML document is valid if it is well-formed and it
complies with the constraints expressed in an associated document type
declaration. XML linking require the two mark-up languages Link and X Pointer.
X Link is an XML language, which uses Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) to
describe links between different files. X Pointer complements Link with the
ability to address specific parts of elements or data in an XML document.
Together, they allow multidirectional inks, links to multiple resources, link
databases, links that point specific places inside the documents, and links to and
from read-only documents.

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XSL

The XSL is defined as the Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL). This is the style
language of XML. In the XML tags we do not have any predefined semantics;
XSL is used to describe how the elements are presented. XSL specification is
divided in two separate parts. The actual XSL specification defines a vocabulary
of formatting objects (XSL-FOs) that have the necessary base Semantics. XSL
Transformations (XSLT) specification defines a language for transforming the
original XML document to the document that is composed of the elements
having formatting semantics. The conversion of XML to the presentation
structure is done by XML/XSL processor.
It takes an XML document, and constructs the source tree from the document.
Using the XSL style sheet, it constructs a separate tree, the result tree, which is
composed of formatting elements. The result tree does not have tope composed
of formatting objects introduced in XSL specification, but it can consist of any
XML elements. However, the document resulting from the transformation must
always be a well-formed XML document. The basic building block of XSL
transformations is the template rule, specified with: template element describing
how the original XML element node is converted into the element node that can
be formatted, styled, and displayed It consists of two parts, a matching part and
a formatting part. The matching part identifies the XML node in the source
document to be formatted, and the formatting part produces part of the result
tree by applying formatting to the nodes.
An XSL formatting object represents a particular kind of formatting information,
which is applied to the content of the formatting object. The formatting
vocabulary is built on the basis of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Document
Style Semantics and Specification Language (DSSSL). Over 90 percent of the XSL
formatting properties are defined in CSS. However, XSL extends CSS, e.g., to
allow pagination and frame based structure. The extensions are done by adding
new values to CSS properties, by splitting CSS properties into several new
properties, or by creating completely new properties.

SELF-CHECK 3.1
Give the two reasons, why we use XML technologies in the present
days mobile computing?

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3.3

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XML AND UML

Unified Modelling Language (or UML) is an Object Management Group (OMG)


standard and a successor to many of the object-oriented methods developed in
the 1980s and 1990s. The idea of using UML to model XML documents is not
new.
There are two different levels at which UML and XML can be mapped:
(a)

The UML diagram is a higher-level view of the schema, and the schema by
itself is the main delivery. The UML diagram needs to be able to control
exactly how each schema structure is described. Specific stereotypes and
parameters are often added to customise the level of control. UML can be
used to model an XML schema.

(b)

UML can be used to model the structure of XML documents directly. XML
schemas can be generated for the purpose of validating the documents, but
they are provided as a convenience for application developers. UML does
not worry about schema details. Their style and modularity are not their
most important features. The algorithm for producing these schemas is
focused on expressing validation rules that make the XML data match the
UML diagram as closely as possible.

The one of the point concerning XML and UML is that it's not simple to generate
DTDs and W3C XML Schemas from UML. When generating DTDs or W3C XML
schemas from UML, you have to cope with the restrictions of these languages,
notably those related to unordered content models. Unordered content models
are a natural fit for UML, in which the attributes of a class are unordered. The
limitations of DTDs and W3C XML Schemas create problems when UML
attributes are serialised as XML elements.
The another important points that appear clearly in all the work related to this
topic is that it is quite easy to map UML objects into XML or to use UML to
describe classes of instance documents. The most difficult issue when doing so is
that UML operates on and graphs, XML is a tree structure. Some links need to be
either removed or serialised using techniques to make the mapping happen
cleanly (you can use X Link, but it is not built into XML 1.0). Except for this issue,
the relationship between UML and XML is quite natural in both directions: UML
provides a simple language to model XML documents and XML provides natural
serialisation syntax for UML objects.

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The issue when modelling W3C XML schemas in UML is that the model needs to
describe the XML instances and the schema itself. This is where all the
complexity of W3C XML schemas enters the UML world. While there is a good
overlap between UML and XML, the overlap is not so good between XML and
W3C XML schemas. W3C XML schemas have in some ways enriched XML with
their own expectations, and their expectations do not match those of UML.
Overlaps between XML, UML, and W3C XML schema.

EXERCISE 3.2
1.

Differentiate between UML and XML.

2.

How XML Technologies implemented in Mobil Computing?

3.4

PUTTING XML TO WORK

XML provides a text format for transmitting structured information. XML is


designed to store data. Microsoft extends the usefulness and power of XML in
form of XAML by making it a .NET programming language. Starting with
Internet Explorer 4.01, Microsoft has shipped their own XML parser, MSXML, as
a COM component. XAML syntactically inherited from XML is a scripting
programming language used to write applications that covers both Windows and
Web worlds. Now as a developer, you may find yourself scripting XAML tags to
write Windows or Web applications. Besides the easy to use and understand,
XAML is flexible enough to provide options to use any .NET programming

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language as code behind. Not only you can write the UI definitions, such as size,
color, and layout of Windows but you can also write the events and methods in
XAML files. XAML takes advantage of existing XML syntaxes. Extensible
Application Markup Language (XAML) is a new scripting language based on
XML that allows Longhorn developers to build and managed UI applications via
scripting. If you remember Windows Forms model, the settings of a Form and its
child controls were used to store in a .cs file with all the attributes of the form
and controls. Now, all these attributes can store in a xaml file and that can run
without any additional code. A window has properties such as width, height,
background color, foreground color and so on. These property values can be set
at design-time as well as at run-time. In case of design-time, the values are stored
in a file that is associated with a window. When a C# compiler compiles the code,
the values of window properties get stored in the executables. In case of XAML, a
panel represents a window. The values of the panels are stored in the XAML
itself in form of XML attributes and elements. When you open an XAML file in
browser (Windows Longhorn), the operating system is smart enough to read the
XAML tags, elements, and attribute values and creates a window with the given
attribute and element values. All controls or windows in XAML have a
predefined tag and each of this tag has properties related to that control or
window. For example, the following code for Button tag sets a few properties of
Button control: <Button Width=20 Height=10>OK Button</Button>

3.5

INTRODUCTION TO UML

UML stands for Unified Modeling Language. UML, or Unified Modeling


Language, is a specification language that is used in the software engineering
field. It can be defined as a general purpose language that uses a graphical
designation which can create an abstract model. UML is an extensible language.
Much of the semantics for this language were greatly improved with the UML
2.0 update. In 1996, a group of developers came together to create the UML
Partners.
It has two elements that are used for customization, and these are stereotypes
and profiles. UML was meant to be a unifying language enabling IT professionals
to model computer applications.
Since UML is not a methodology, it does not require any formal work products
(i.e., artifacts in IBM Rational Unified Process lingo). The Object Management
group is responsible for defining UML, and they do this via the UML Meta
model. XMI can be used to serialize the UML model. UML is not limited simply
modeling software. It can also be used to build models for system engineering,
business processes, and organization structures. The Unified Modeling Language

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is important for a number of reasons. First, it has been used as a catalyst for the
advancement of technologies which are model driven, and some of these include
Model Driven Development and Model Driven Architecture. When UML was
created, one of the goals of the developers was to create a language that could
support every object oriented approach. Some of the features which UML
supports includes time analysis, data analysis, object oriented structure design,
and state charts.

3.5.1

User View of UML

There are 14 types of diagrams divided into two categories. Out of fourteen
diagrams seven diagrams represent structural information, and the other seven
represent general types of behaviour, including four that represent different
aspects of interactions. These diagrams can be categorised hierarchically as
shown in the following class diagram.

UML element may appear on almost all types of diagrams; this flexibility has
been partially restricted in UML 2.0. UML may define additional diagram types
or extend existing diagrams with additional notations.
In keeping with the tradition of engineering drawings, a comment or note
explaining usage, constraint, or intent is allowed in a UML diagram.

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3.5.2

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Structure View

The Structure diagrams are a primarily concern on the things that must be
present in the system being modelled. Since structure diagrams represent the
structure
used
extensively
in
documenting
the
architecture
http://uk.ask.com/wiki/ Software_Architecture?qsrc=3044 of software systems.
(a)

Class Diagram
The class diagram is used to describe the structure of a system by showing
the systems classes, their attributes, and the relationships among the
classes.

(b)

Composite Structure Diagram


The composite structure diagram is used to describe the internal structure
of a class and the collaborations this structure makes possible. Figure 3.4
shows a composite structure diagram.

(c)

Component
Diagram
http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Component_diagram?
qsrc=3044:
Th e Component Diagram is used to describe how a software system is split
up into components and shows the dependencies among these components.

(d)

Deployment Diagram
The deployment diagram is used to describe the hardware used in system
implementations and the execution environments and artifacts deployed on
the hardware.

(e)

Object Diagram
The object diagram is used to show a complete or partial view of the
structure of a modelled system at a specific time.

(f)

Package Diagram
The package diagram is used to describe the methods that define how a
system is split up into logical groupings by showing the dependencies
among these groupings.

(g)

Profile Diagram
Operates at the Meta model level to show stereotypes as classes with the
<<stereotype>> stereotype, and profiles as packages with the <<profile>>
stereotype. The extension relation (solid line with closed, filled arrowhead)
indicates what Meta model element a given stereotype is extending.

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Figure 3.1: Composite structure diagrams

3.5.3

Behavior View

The Behaviour model is a primary concern on what must happen when the
system is being modelled. The Behaviour view is focused on the behaviour of a
system; hence they are used extensively to describe the functionality of software
systems.
(a)

Use Case Diagram-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_case_diagram


The Use Case Diagram describes the functionality provided by a system in
terms of actors, their goals represented as use cases, and any dependencies
among those use cases.

(b)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activity_diagram
The Activity Diagram describes the business and operational step-by-step
workflows of components in a system. An activity diagram shows the
overall flow of the control.

(c)

UML Stat Machine Diagram-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UML_state_


machine

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The UML State Machine Diagram: describes the states and state transitions
of the system.

EXERCISE 3.3
1.

Explain the XML and UML.

2.

Write a short note on users view and behaviour view of UML.

3.5.4

Implementation View Component Diagrams

Overview
Component diagrams are used to model physical aspects of a system. This
diagram is different in terms of nature and behaviour.
The question that arises here is that what are these physical aspects? Physical
aspects are the elements like executables, libraries, files, documents, etc., which
resides in a node.
The component diagrams are used to visualise the organisation and relationships
among components in a system. These diagrams are also used to make
executable systems.
Purpose
The purpose of component diagram is different from all other diagrams
discussed so far. It does not describe the functionality of the system but it
describes the components used to make those functionalities. Component
diagram is a special kind of diagram in UML.
The component diagrams are used to visualise the physical components in a
system. These components are libraries, packages, files, etc.
Component diagrams can also be described as a static implementation view of a
system. Static implementation represents the organisation of the components at a
particular moment.
The single component diagram cannot represent the entire system but a
collection of diagrams are used to represent the whole.
So the purpose of the component diagram can be summarised as:

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(a)

The diagram construct executables by using forward and reverse


engineering.

(b)

This diagram visualise the components of a system.

(c)

This diagram describes the organisation and relationships of the


components.

How to Draw Component Diagram?


The component diagrams are used to describe the physical aspects of a system.
This aspect includes files, executables, libraries, etc.
The fundamental purpose of the component diagram is different. The component
diagrams are used during the implementation phase of an application. It is
prepared well in advance to visualise the implementation details.
Initially the system is designed using different UML diagrams and then when the
aspects are ready component diagrams are used to get an idea of the
implementation.
One of the important diagrams is the component diagram. The component
diagram is an important diagram. This diagram is very important because
without it the application cannot be implemented efficiently. A well prepared
component diagram is also important for other aspects like application
performance, maintenance, etc.
So before drawing a component diagram the following artifacts are to be
identified clearly:
(a)

First we check the files used in the system.

(b)

Libraries and other artifacts relevant to the application.

(c)

Relationships among the artifacts.

Now after identifying the artifacts the following points needs to be followed:
(a)

Use a meaningful name to identify the component for which the diagram is
to be drawn.

(b)

Prepare a mental layout before producing using tools.

(c)

Use notes for clarifying important points.

The Figure 3.2 shows the component diagram for order management system.
Here the artifacts are files. Here the diagram shows the files in the application

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TOPIC 3

MOBILE COMPUTING AND UML

and their relationships. In actual the component diagram also contains libraries,
folders, etc.

Figure 3.2: Component diagram of an order management system

In the Figure 3.2 four files are identified and their relationships are produced.
Component diagram cannot be matched directly with other UML diagrams
discussed so far. Because it is drawn for a complete different purpose.
So the component diagram has been drawn considering all the points mentioned
above.
Where to Use Component Diagrams?
To visualise the static implementation view of the system we describe the
component diagram. Component diagrams are special type of UML diagrams
used for different purposes. These diagrams show the physical components of a
system. To clarify it, we can say that component diagrams describe the
organisation of the components in a system.

TOPIC 3

MOBILE COMPUTING AND UML

W 63

Organisation can be further described as the location of the components in a


system. These components are organised in a special way to meet the system
requirements. As we have already discussed those components are libraries, files,
executables etc. Now before implementing the application these components are
to be organised. This component organisation is also designed separately as a
part of project execution.
Component diagrams are very important from implementation perspective. So
the implementation team of an application should have a proper knowledge of
the component details.
Now the usage of component diagrams can be described as:
(a)

Model the components of a system;

(b)

Model database schema;

(c)

Model executables of an application; and

(d)

Model systems source code.

SELF-CHECK 3.2
1.

Design the structural, behaviour and user view of UML.

2.

Design the component diagram for banking system.

Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) is a set of rules for encoding documents


in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced
by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open
standards.

One of the important diagrams that are a primarily concern on the things that
must be present in the system being modelled is the structural diagram. Since
structure diagrams represent the structure they are used extensively in
documenting
the
architecture
http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Software_
Architecture?qsrc=3044 of software systems.

The Behaviour views are very frequently used to describe the functionality of
software systems. Component diagrams are used to model physical aspects
of a system. This diagram is different in terms of nature and behaviour.

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TOPIC 3

MOBILE COMPUTING AND UML

HTML Hyper Text Mark-up Language


UML Unified Modelling Language
XML

Extensible Mark-up Language

XSL

Extensible Style sheet Language

1.

What are the basic difference between XML and HTML?

2.

How XML technologies implemented in mobile computing?

3.

Differentiate between UML and XML.

4.

Is there any relation defines in structured and behavior view of XML?

5.

Write short notes on key XML technologies.

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